


To Have, To Love, To Save the World

by nyckolodeo_n



Category: Hamilton - Miranda
Genre: Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-20
Updated: 2017-06-15
Packaged: 2018-11-02 17:35:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,017
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10949424
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nyckolodeo_n/pseuds/nyckolodeo_n
Summary: “Bring him with us,” James speaks as he moves across the room to help Thomas, “We don’t have enough time to see if he’s on our side, so, Laurens, work your magic and let’s bounce.” Thomas snorts at the other boy’s terrible joke, but doesn’t have time to dwell on it. Laurens puts The Hurricane to sleep and then it’s all eyes on Thomas. Right. Being in charge is usually his job.“Right. I don’t know much about the layout of the facility, and I can’t tap into it right now, becausesomeonethrew me into a wall.” He very pointedly looks at James.





	1. Intro

**Author's Note:**

> So apparently I wrote this like three months ago and never expanded on it??? So now i'm going to, even though i've got two other fics to work on and I'm getting an internship this summer (haha , what is Sleep?) please bear with me on the length of this chapter, they will start to get longer as I develop the story. Enjoy!  
> Also, please excuse the cheesy hero names, i am only so creative.  
> The rating on this might change depending on how in depth I decide to go with the actual action this story will come with. So please keep an eye out for that and warnings at the beginning of chapters that might show up.

Thomas wakes up slowly, his head pounding and his body too sore to move. “You know,” a voice that Thomas has learned to identify just a little too well, “we really ought t’ stop meeting like this.” Thomas groans as The Hurricane slinks out from the shadows to his immediate left. They aren’t necessarily enemies, per say, but they aren’t allies either. He’s not sure where their differences lie, other than the fact that their powers are in no way similar. He doesn’t get why they don’t get along. He couldn’t tell you if his life depended on it—which more often than you would think, it does, if he’s being honest. Thomas doesn’t know what villains don’t seem to get about the fact that just because they sometimes happen to “defeat evil” together, doesn’t mean that they’re best friends and living with each other.

“You know,” Thomas says in a slightly mocking tone, smirking at the way the other hero frowns, “you really need to find better pickup lines if we _are_ going to keep meeting like this.” The oddest thing about their interactions is their banter; they talk and joke easily, as if they _are_ best friends, and it’s always been a little disconcerting to him. Thomas tries to shift, groaning in pain as he does so, and suddenly The Hurricane is hovering over him, a surprisingly worried look on what Thomas can see of the other guy’s face. Thomas frowns, because he knows that the other hero never takes any part of his mask off, no exceptions, and when Thomas looks around the room again, he realizes that he doesn’t have his mask on either, and they’re locked in what can only be depicted as a cell. “What happened?” Thomas asks, slowly trying to get his limbs and body used to moving again.

“You don’t remember?” and the other guy sounds almost more worried than before. “We met up at a Redcoats raid and the Betrayer caught up with us. He had distracted you… I don’t want to detail that because that’s none of my business, but when I saw that what he was doing was just a distraction, I tried to get to you as fast as I could. He ended up knocking us both out with that mind trick of his before I could get you out of there. Sorry about that.” Thomas shudders, because he is starting to remember. Charles Lee– the Betrayer – and him used to be decent enough friends, allies even. Or at least Thomas thought they were. The catch was that he was just a decoy sent to get as many personal details about Thomas and his life out of him and report back to the Redcoats, the most dangerous—and stupidly named—villain organization in the world. He had felt sick to his stomach when he had found out all those years ago, and had laughed bitterly to himself for an hour about how well he owned his name.

When Powered People first became known to the general public, there was a nationwide scare among everyone in the country and around the globe. Were there going to be laws that got put into place? Were exceptions going to be made for crimes that Powered People committed? Everyone was scared, especially Powered People themselves, and they immediately went into hiding. There are secret organizations all over the world –they’re not doing their jobs very well since, really, everyone knows about them. Some of these organizations are good and mean well—like the Revolutionaries—and some of them are hell-bent on mass destruction and control—like the Redcoats. Thomas’ family has always had a strong line of Power in their blood – his great-grandparents were the most respected heroes in the knowing world back in the 1930s, even with the war and depression the country was going through – so it was really no surprise to his family that when his powers manifested, he had more than one and they were very powerful and very uncommon.

Thomas still isn’t exactly sure what it is he’s called, or what exactly all his powers are, but he knows that The Redcoats have been hunting him down for years specifically because of his bloodline.

“You alright there, Curly?” The mentioned doesn’t realize his hands are shaking and that his breath has sped up until the other hero mentions it. He can feel the ground starting to shake in tandem with his breath and he closes his eyes and takes long, deep breaths, acutely aware of a hand – The Hurricane’s hand – rubbing circles on his back. “Easy, now, Thomas, we’re going to get out of here. I promise I’ll get you out of here and away from these people.” The Hurricane’s face is directly above his, his gaze focused, and Thomas can’t look away. There’s something calming in that look, something grounding and familiar. There’s a look in those eyes that reminds Thomas of his childhood best friend, but – no it couldn’t be.  _He_ moved back to Nevis when they were nine. It was under the pretense of his _abuela_ missing him and his mother, but Thomas hadn’t believed it at the time. He still doesn’t almost ten years later, but his mother told him he was just being superstitious and over protective because the two boys had all these plans for when they grew up, and Thomas just hadn’t wanted to lose that. She wasn’t entirely wrong. Still, there was no way that  _He_  and The Hurricane are the same person. Except –

“How do you know my name?” he asks, curiosity and accusation laced in his tone in equal use. The Hurricane’s face hardens, but he doesn’t quit rubbing circles on Thomas’ back. The worry still shows in his eyes, but the rest of his face looks like he’s having an internal battle on how to “proceed” with their little display. Thomas wants to push, is tempted to, but even he knows how to notice when someone’s boundaries are being pushed. He decides to change tactics, and come back to that issue later. “Hey,” the hero says, voice so soft that the other man must look at him and focus. “How long have we been here?” he says, moving on for now to prevent conflict. There’s obviously something going on here, and Thomas would very much like to know what. First, though, he needs to heal.

The Hurricane seems thankful for the topic change, “You’ve been asleep about eight or ten hours, I was asleep before that so I don’t know exactly, but— umm, _why are you glowing_?” he squeaks that last part of his sentence and Thomas can tell by the glare on the other hero’s face that he knows that Thomas plans on making fun of him for that for a long time. Thomas ignores his question and sits up more fully, ignoring the cracking and pulling of bones and muscles. He closes his eyes and concentrates on pulling his healing energy through him. He learned how to separate how he uses his different kinds of energy with George at the Revolutionary facility in New York just over a year ago and he’s never been more thankful for that training than he is in this moment. “Seriously, Thomas, why the hell are you glowing? You haven’t done this once since we started running into each other.” Thomas doesn’t answer him, but he can feel The Hurricane pacing the room, another one of the supposedly many powers Thomas has. He’s stopped keeping count.

Thomas is interrupted from his healing when the door blows open and he’s thrown across the room. He can still feel himself working at it, it’s just slower than before. When he opens his eyes, though, instead of Redcoat thugs, he’s met with the greatest sight he’s probably ever seen. “Well, Tommy, looks like you need my help once again,” James is a sight for sore eyes, and when Thomas tells him this, he just laughs. “Yeah, yeah, get in line, lover boy. Time to get this show on the road.” He whistles and Herc and Laurens slink in the room to check for traps and other people. Thomas has a half a second to wonder where The Hurricane’s gone, before Herc pulls him from under the blown-in door, and dangles him from his feet.

“Bring him with us,” James speaks as he moves across the room to help Thomas, “We don’t have enough time to see if he’s on our side, so, Laurens, work your magic and let’s bounce.” Thomas snorts at the other boy’s terrible joke, but doesn’t have time to dwell on it. Laurens puts The Hurricane to sleep and then it’s all eyes on Thomas. Right. Being in charge is usually his job.

“Right. I don’t know much about the layout of the facility, and I can’t tap into it right now, because  _someone_ threw me into a wall.” He very pointedly looks at James, “So aforementioned someone is going to take lead. Herc, you’re in charge of getting Speedy here out alive. I don’t want him dead or left behind, if you need a break you let me know and we switch. If we do this right, we can get out of here in five minutes flat. Laurens, you take the middle with Herc, don’t let anyone touch them or yourself. James and I will handle ourselves if it comes to it, so you three getting out is the priority. Also,” he looks them all in the eye, “Lee is here. He is our biggest obstacle, but I should be able to sense him or hold him off if you all need to get out.”

“But Tom-”

“No ‘buts’ Herc. I know what that means, I understand perfectly well, but you all aren’t who they’ve been looking for; I am and it’s going to stay that way, understood?” He can see the dark-skinned boy ready to put up a fight, “What would Laf think if you’d gotten taken by Redcoats? I’d rather not escape here alive and without you just to be killed by your fiancé, thanks.” Herc rolls his eyes, but he seems to accept that he’s not going to win this fight, so he nods and lets it go. “Now,” he says, rolling his neck and feeling the ground rumble with him. He closes his eyes and relaxes, and when he opens his eyes, he knows they’re glowing bright and silver, like the moon on a clear night. “Let’s get the fuck out of here.”

–

By the time they get back to their transport jet, they’re all more than just a little scratched up. Laurens lays The Hurricane down on a medical cot, and cuffs his hands to the side railings. Thomas thinks it’s a little excessive, but he gets it; they don’t really know that much about him and they can’t take the chance. Herc makes his way to the cockpit while James takes Thomas into the actual medical wing of the ship to look him over. As expected, most of his injuries are taking care of themselves, but he gets hooked up to an IV anyways, because James is an overprotective and worrisome bastard, but Thomas still loves him.

When Thomas goes to protest, he doesn’t even get the first word out, “Not a word, Thomas. Do you know how worried we were? You were supposed to only be gone a day and a half, and you know how long you’ve  _actually_ been gone?!” Thomas tries to interrupt, but when his friends get going there’s no stopping them. “You’ve been gone almost a  _week._ I don’t know what drugs they gave you, but you didn’t respond to any of Aaron’s mental tapping, and I was so  _worried...”_ James trails off, and Thomas pulls him close, allowing the smaller of the two to cling to his worn suit. James is crying, Thomas can feel it in his shoulders, but neither of them talks about it. They just sit – and stand – in that position, for who knows how long, until someone clears their throat from the doorway. They pull apart, Thomas wiping away James’ tears as gently as they can, before they turn their attention to the entry way. Herc doesn’t look impressed, but Thomas can tell by his shoulders that he’s just as relieved that Thomas is okay as James is. The Jet must be on autopilot, because there’s no way Herc’s letting Laurens fly.

“What’s up, Herc?” Thomas asks, and Hercules straightens considerably. He glances behind him and Thomas immediately knows what’s up. “James, go wait outside, please.” The younger man starts to protest, but they don’t have time for that, “Now, James, we’ll talk later.” He reinforces his statement with more bravado, his Commander voice taking over. James immediately deflates and slinks out of the room, probably to go bother Laurens while he watches over The Hurricane outside. Herc steps all the way into the room and closes the door behind him, a very serious look on his face. Thomas has never seen the other man look so serious, and it makes Thomas’ gut clench in worry. They’ve been best friends since they were eight, the two of them and Laf, and Thomas hates when he isn’t the carefree person Thomas knows he is, despite the façade he puts on for everyone else.

“Herc?” The dark-skinned man snaps out of his daze and moves closer to Thomas, breathing irregular until Thomas rests his hand on his shoulder. Herc looks up on him, and there’s an expression of someone who’s experiencing an unbearable pain and betrayal laid out for the taller boy to see. “Herc, what’s the matter? Do we need to call Laf?” Thomas asks, gently and slowly, because that’s the best way to deal with the other boy when he lets his emotions actually come out. They stand there a few more silent minutes before Thomas tries again. “Herc–”

“The Hurricane.” The other man mumbles. “It’s… The Hurricane.” He repeats, and Thomas still doesn’t follow.

“What about him, Herc? What’s he done, is everything okay? Oh, god, he didn’t die, did he? We didn’t accidentally get him killed, did we? Peggy will actually kill us if we got him injured, please tell me he isn’t dead.” Unlike Thomas and The Hurricane, the hero Peggy is very close to their current captive, just like she’s close to George and helps them sometimes. She’s always threatening Thomas and Co. about how if they ever let either of those two get hurt, then they’ll pay in a very slow in painful death. People back at base often think because she’s the youngest that she’s the less threatening between her and her sisters. They very quickly learned otherwise. Thomas shudders, “Herc, tell me he isn’t dead. Please.” Thomas places his other hand on Herc’s other shoulder, and that’s what snaps the boy out of his daze for the second time. He stares on Thomas with so much sadness on his eyes, and Thomas is about to tell Laurens to get Laf on one of the private Communication Units when Herc finally speaks.

“It’s him Thomas.” He says, voice small, and tears on the brims of his eye. “The Hurricane… It’s…” Herc seems to be struggling, like he’s trying to find the right words so he doesn’t upset  _Thomas,_ which is something the latter doesn’t understand. Why would he be upset?

“Herc I need you to use your words. Who is ‘him?’ Who is The Hurricane?” Thomas knows he needs to be patient, but there’s a feeling in his gut he knows he wouldn’t have unless something very serious was going on. “Herc, who is The Hurricane?”

“Thomas,” he says, voice broken, “It’s Alexander. The Hurricane is Alexander.”

Thomas, in a very _manly_ fashion, thank you very fucking much, promptly passes out.

 


	2. I

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Laurens looks at Jefferson again and says, “Washington’s waiting for you to debrief. I’ll show Hamilton around and take him to Eliza for testing.” Thomas goes to protest, but John isn’t having it, “It’s standard procedure, Jefferson. You know we don’t take in strays without background checks, anymore—no matter how cute they are or who they used to be friends with.” Alex blushes down his neck and Laurens beams at his reaction. “Everything’s fine, I promise I won’t break your boyfriend.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yes, i'm aware i've been updating this and not my ot7  
> no, i don't have any excuses for my lack of updating other than the fact that i'm writing about four things at once and i'm bad at managing my time. i am very sorry about what you're about to read.

_They’re nine years old and Alex and Thomas are laying side by side on the former’s bed. Alex’s family is moving at the end of the week, and it’s bothering Thomas more than it probably should. He understands_ why _they have to move, is very happy that Alex’s abuela is alive and well and how much fun he’ll have back in Nevis, he just wishes it didn’t have to happen. Thomas has his eyes closed, so he can’t see Alex when he turns his head to look at the slightly taller boy, but he can feel it. Thomas is trying very hard not to let tears flow down his cheeks, thought he isn’t doing a very good job. In just two days he isn’t going to have his best friend anymore, he thinks he’s allowed a little bit of a cry. Alex grabs Thomas’ hand, lacing their fingers together, and Thomas holds on like his life depends on it._

_“Tom, please don’t cry,” the other boy says, voice small and squeaky since neither of them are near old enough to hit puberty. “Thomas, please, I don’t like when you cry.” He sounds close to tears himself and Thomas wipes his tears away in what’s probably a too-harsh manner, and turns to look at his friend. Alexander smiles and rubs his thumb across Thomas’ cheek, wiping away his tears and lingering in a way that can only be considered intimate. Thomas is just starting to get old enough to understand what dating is and what “like” liking a person means, and he’s always felt that way about Alex. Not that it matters, because he’ll never admit that to anyone._

_He’s already enough a freak with the powers he’s started to manifest, he doesn’t need to make it worse._

_“Why do you have to go?” Thomas knows why, is completely aware that Alex can’t stay behind while his family moves to a completely different country. It’s not logical, and Thomas is going to have to accept that eventually. “I don’t want you to leave.” Thomas can’t deal with the idea of Alex finding a new best friend, of forgetting all about him and their group of friends, and it makes Thomas want to cry. He won’t though, because Alex asked him not to, and Thomas just can’t bring himself to deny his friend anything. They turn more fully towards each other in sync, and Thomas and Alex smile at how in tune they are with each other. Alex’s thumb strokes Thomas’ cheek again, feather light and soft as silk._

_“You need to wake up, Tommy.” Thomas freezes. Alex never calls him Tommy. What does he mean “wake up?” They’re already awake. There’s a sudden shaking feeling in his shoulder and Alex’s voice becomes more prominent, more frantic, though his position on the bed doesn’t change and his lips never move. “Tommy! Thomas, buddy, you gotta wake up.” Everything around Thomas starts to shake and he realizes too late that he’s about to be taken from his best friend all over again. “Thomas! Thomas, come on time to get up.” The air around his nine-year-old self and the Alex of the same age starts to shake, and there’s another shout. “Thomas!”_

Thomas sits up with a start, almost head-butting James and falling off the cot they must have laid him on when he passed out before. He groans, rubbing at his eyes and his temples while the other helps him get back up and sit him upright against the wall on the same cot. James immediately settles in next to Thomas and the latter automatically rests his arm around the other man’s neck. Laurens and Herc are less obvious about their concern, but he can see it in their eyes, and he gives them a small smile and a slight nod, and he can see the way their shoulders relax and their stances become less tense. “What happened?” he says, voice rough from “sleep.” James punches him in the gut and Laurens and Herc roll their eyes.

“You passed out like an absolute girl,” James replies, voice smug and it makes Thomas laugh.

“Don’t let Angelica hear you say that. She’ll kick your ass like an absolute girl, and she won’t even have to lift a finger.”  Thomas says, laughing at the indignant squawk his friend lets out. It’s funny, because somehow, Thomas has found himself surrounded by all these heroes, all these people with such great power, and he’ll wonder how he came to deserve this, how he came to be friends with such great people. His heart will always belong to his best friend, to Alex, but he doesn’t love these friends any less because of that. The thought immediately sobers him up, and for the first time since Thomas has woken up he looks over to the other medical cot they have on the ship. Alex – _The Hurricane_ – is looking right at him, eyes sad and telling. He looks _just like Alex,_ and Thomas feels so stupid for not properly putting the pieces together when he’d first woken up in that cell just hours before.

Alex is definitely grown up; his shoulders are broader and his arms look firm from a good amount of exercise. His face has become more defined, as is normal when someone was nine the last time you saw them and they’re almost twenty-one now. He’s definitely shot up in height, though he’s still not taller than Thomas, something he won’t hesitate to tease him for when he’s not having a mental break down. The thing that hasn’t changed though, that Thomas should have _known,_ were those eyes. They’re as bright as they were when they were kids, and Thomas can easily get lost in the amount of emotion and openness that Alex has on his face, that he only used to show around him, Herc, and Laf as kids. It makes Thomas heart hurt, and when Thomas thinks about everything, it just makes him mad.

He gets off the cot, ignoring James’ protesting whine at the loss of contact, and stalks towards where Alex is laying on the cot. The other boy quickly sits up, as much as he can with his hands still cuffed to the bed, and goes to say something that would probably be a joke, but Thomas isn’t having any of it. Before the other boy even gets the first syllable out of his mouth, Thomas hits him square in the jaw, much to everyone in the room’s surprise. Thomas can hear Herc holding Laurens and James back, but he can’t actually hear what they’re saying. If anyone understands how mad Thomas is, it’s Herc. Herc suffered losing Alex in the same way Thomas did, even if it hadn’t been as intense of a feeling at the time. Alex, however doesn’t protest. He just sits there, rolling his neck out and flexing his jaw where Thomas got his hit in. He doesn’t try to move back on the bed or beg for Thomas to hear him out, he just sits there, cooperative and understanding when he looks back up at Thomas. He’s waiting for another hit, Thomas can tell by the way he’s holding his body slightly rigid, and the way he flexes his jaw.

But Thomas can’t do it again.

Thomas rushes forward, and this time, instead of punching Alex in the face, he wraps his arms around the other man’s neck. He squeezes as tightly as he’s able without causing harm to the other man. Alex isn’t hugging back, but it takes Thomas a second to realize that it’s because his hands are still attached to the bed, not because he doesn’t want to hug Thomas. He sits back, and the key magically appears in front of Thomas’ face. He blinks up at Herc and offers a thankful smile, before he quickly makes work of the cuffs and goes back to hugging the life out of his best friend. Alex’s arms slide around his waist, and they fall backwards on the cot Alex was on, not leaving their hug for even a second. When they’ve laid down all the way, they shift so that they’re facing each other, and instead of burying their faces in each other’s necks, they press their foreheads to one another’s. Thomas brings his left hand up to grip the back of the other boy’s neck, and after a few minutes, Alex follows suit with his right.

They lay like that for what feels like hours, just holding on to each other and familiarizing themselves with each other again. The others have left by now, and Thomas mentally reminds himself to thank Herc and the other’s for being so understanding. He doesn’t realize tears are streaming down his face until he hears Alex quietly trying to calm him and feels him brush his thumb across Thomas’ cheek. “I missed you,” Thomas whispers into the darkness, his words coming out more like a sob than actual words. Alex just continues to rub at his cheek and quietly coo at him. He can feel himself getting drowsy, the presence of his childhood friend a reassuring presence.

“I missed you, too, Thomas.” Alex says, right before Thomas falls completely asleep. “I’m never leaving you again. I promise.”

à

They sleep through the rest of the ride back to HQ. When Thomas starts to stir awake, he can feel the aircraft starting to lower itself onto the platform that takes them to the underground facility they operate out of. Alex is still fast asleep, head buried in Thomas’ neck, his right hand still holding his neck while his left is firmly keeping a grip on Thomas’ shirt. Thomas smiles and lightly traces the lines of Alex’s face with his left hand, careful not to add too much pressure so he doesn’t wake his sleeping friend. James comes in a few minutes later, frown firmly in place, and Thomas carefully disentangles himself from Alex to get to the other man. He feels bad, knows that James probably doesn’t understand what’s so special about Alex and why Thomas ignored him for post-mission cuddles with someone else. It’s something that had belonged to them for a few years now, and he’s sure James is feeling left out.

“I understand…” James says, voice soft and vulnerable, “I mean – I get why… I understand what he means to you. I just… I missed you earlier, and…” Thomas walks over and hugs the other man pulling him as close to Thomas’ body as he can manage, James’ arms immediately encircling the taller man’s waist. “I’m sorry, I probably sound like an utter girl…”

“I’m gonna tell Angelica that you keep implying that girls are weak and emotional,” Thomas says with a chuckle, and James snorts into the taller boy’s chest. “You’re not gonna lose me. I’ll always be here for you, J.” The smaller man nods into Thomas’ chest and they stand there just long enough for the Jet to fully land before they need to pull away. James pulls away and leaves, probably to get their supplies together to hand off to the Powered Revolutionaries in charge of stock, and Thomas turns back to the sleeping man on the cot – who actually isn’t sleeping at all, as it turns out. He’s looking at Thomas curiously, though it’s not accusational. The older man’s face looks less worn and sunken in now that he’s gotten to sleep for twelve consecutive hours, and his hair hasn’t moved even the slightest bit out of place. He looks beautiful, and Thomas wonders what maybe could have been between them if they hadn’t been sprung apart all those years ago.

Now, though… Thomas isn’t so sure.

“Up you get, Lex,” Thomas says, slipping back into old habits more seamlessly than he’d like to admit. “Laf and the others have a bone to pick wi-” but he doesn’t get to finish his sentence. The door to the medical wing bangs open, and Alex is in front of Thomas like a protective barrier in point-two seconds flat. Thomas sighs, because he was trying to avoid this kind of confrontation. Looks like _some_ people have different plans.

“Alexander Hamilton and Thomas fucking Jefferson!” Laf’s French lilt rings out in a not so happy way. Herc’s standing right behind him, his grip on the back of Laf’s shirt the only thing that’s keeping him from punching Thomas and Alex in their faces. “Herc, let me go right this instant.” Laf threatens, the look in his eyes leaving no room for question on what he feels about the matter. Laf tries to tug out of the other boy’s grip again, and turns to glare at Herc when his grip tightens instead of loosening. Herc raises an eyebrow back at him, unimpressed. The taller man turns his attention towards Alex, eyes flicking down to where Alex’s hand is fisted in Thomas’ shirt, and Thomas can see he’s even less impressed now.

What Herc probably can’t see, however, is how nervous this confrontation is making the tan-skinned boy, how quickly his hand is shaking where it’s just inches from Thomas’. “Lex,” Thomas whispers, mouth pressed against the shell of Alex’s ear, “Alex, you gotta let go, he won’t hurt us, not really. You know that.” Thomas keeps it up, whispering quiet and encouraging words in his best friend’s ear until his breathing is slow and even and his grip on Thomas’ shirt has loosened. Thomas can see Herc do the same thing for Laf, and Thomas nods his head just barely when their eyes meet so that Herc knows that everything that happens from here on is the dark-skinned man’s call. Nothing happens until he says so. Lafayette is still glaring daggers at Alexander, causing the smaller man to hang his head and flex his hands and shoulders nervously in anticipation. Thomas isn’t sure for what, at least not at first, but then he notices how he’s flexing his jaw again and everything clicks. He turns to his friends. Hercules tries to talk to Lafayette instead.

“Gilbert, you’re scaring him.” The tenseness around Lafayette’s eyes lessen, but he still looks as angry as before. He looks conflicted, like he’s not sure how to seem mad and unthreatening at the same time—which is normal for someone as tall and in your face as he can be, especially with a power like his (having the ability to shape-shift only has so many perks). His eyes are slits and his nails are slightly transformed into his claws, like it’s taking him all his willpower to keep from changing into his panther form. Hercules lightly pulls Lafayette back to his chest and places his hand on top of Lafayette’s. Herc whispers something to Lafayette and Thomas can see them doing their breathing exercises they sometimes have to work on. It clearly isn’t working, and Hercules must have summoned John through his telepathy, because he’s there in a moment and putting Lafayette to sleep. John is one of the few of them that has more than one power; his ability to put people to sleep isn’t always the best for being out in the field, but it’s great to help lessen some conflicts until they’re ready to be dealt with. Hercules looks back at Alex.

“He doesn’t want to hurt you, Alex. He’s just a little upset, you understand. He’ll be fine when he wakes up.” With that final word, he carries Lafayette’s sleeping form out of the Jet and probably towards their shared room. Laurens turns back to Alex, clearly unbothered by the display they just put on, and strides up to the other man. He looks him up and down, looking for what, Thomas doesn’t actually know, but it’s unsettling to say the least. Alex looks back up when he finally notices the other person standing in front of him, and from where he’s standing, Thomas can tell he doesn’t quite understand why Laurens is so interested in him, either. Except for the fact that Alex is the long ago removed friend that’s also the same superhero who’s been helping them fight King George and his Redcoats all this time.

Laurens looks at Jefferson again and says, “Washington’s waiting for you to debrief. I’ll show Hamilton around and take him to Eliza for testing.” Thomas goes to protest, but John isn’t having it, “It’s standard procedure, Jefferson. You know we don’t take in strays without background checks, anymore—no matter how cute they are or who they used to be friends with.” Alex blushes down his neck and Laurens beams at his reaction. “Everything’s fine, I promise I won’t break your boyfriend.” Thomas goes to protest again, but before he can get a word out Laurens has grabbed Alex by the hand and all but dragged him into the hanger and towards the medical examination wing. Thomas sighs in resignation and steps into the hangar towards Washington’s office. Hopefully he won’t get yelled at too much.

-x-

An hour later, Jefferson walks out of Washington’s office with a mild headache and sore muscles. They had only briefly discussed the mission before George decided Thomas needed to work on expanding his knowledge of how much strength he had and how agile he truly was. He appreciates George’s help, of course he does, but today was a day to reacquaint himself with his childhood best friend and make sure Lafayette didn’t kill Laurens when he realized John had used his powers to put the Frenchman to sleep. He stretches his arms above his head, closing his eyes and pictures the medical wing. From one second to the next instead of being in front of Washington’s office, he’s now standing in the corner of the medical wing that’s designated specifically for him and his teleportation. It took a while for him to have accurate enough “aim” so that he didn’t pop up in the middle of an examination Eliza was doing or on top of a patient that’s resting. Thomas didn’t even know he could teleport until Charles—well, that was six months ago, and he doesn’t think about that anymore.

“He’s not here, Jefferson,” Eliza says. Her eyebrows are raised, an unimpressed look on her face that causes him to blush down to the base of his neck. “Since you’re here though,” she snaps her fingers and suddenly Thomas is sitting in a chair in the middle of the room. “let’s see how well you healed this time. Heard it was pretty brutal.” She sets to work on his x-ray and tests his reflexes, nodding in approval or tutting when she sees something she doesn’t like. It takes no more than ten minutes—having x-ray vision helps to skip on the big, chunky machines—and Thomas wishes she would drop the barriers she’s put up around him so he could teleport out of there and go find Alex. She’s quiet while she fills out the paperwork, only speaking to Philip, her son, to tell him to take Thomas’ file back to the storage closet. He’s too young to have developed any powers, yet, but if he’s anything like his mother it won’t be long until he does and he’ll be some kind of healer.

“He was worried about you,” Eliza whispers, and Thomas jolts out of his daze to see her looking at him sadly. Thomas suddenly feels very small, and goes to say something but doesn’t have the chance when she raises her hand to stop him. “Don’t bother, Thomas. He knows why you’re gone so often, he just wishes he could help. He miss—” He phone rings, interrupting her sentence, and she answers it with a somber look. Thomas tunes out her conversation, and doesn’t notice she’s off the phone until he feels the barriers around him fall and he can feel the power flowing back through his body. “The boys need you in Mission Control. You should hurry.” With that she turns back to her work, closing herself off to Thomas and any protest he might have. With a sigh, he focuses on the Control room, and he’s gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm sorry this chapter is so short, i promise the next few/last few will be longer and more Thomas/Alex oriented and more dramatic all around. also, no i have not fully decided what everyone's powers are, yet, but i hope you enjoy the ones that have been established. Others are coming up soon very soon, okay? don't forget to come talk to me on [here!](http://nyckthewriter.tumblr.com)


	3. II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _While everyone is examining the board, the door opens and Angelica and the girls stroll in. Alexander is out of his chair in a second and dashes over to the dark-skinned girl and her sisters, and Thomas wonders how he’s so close to them before Washington projects an image into his mind that makes him gasp in surprise and grip the arms of his chair. Maria strokes Alexander’s back, and Theo doesn’t know Alexander apparently, because she strolls right past him and plants herself between Thomas and James. George allows them a few moments to reunite themselves before clearing his throat, causing the girls and Alex to jump and blush in embarrassment._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is brief mention of the aftermath of a bombing in this chapter, but it's very very short and doesn't go Too Much into detail. I hope you all enjoy, this chapter is Slightly longer than the last one, but not by much. I don't plan on making this fic Too Long, so I hope to be done with it by mid-July if I can stay on schedule (which we all know i can't do lmao) ANYWAY thanks for reading , i hope you enjoy !

“Aaron, I’m fine, it’s barely a scratch,” John’s voice rings out across the room as Thomas’ mind comes back into focus, and he turns to the area of the room where the fuss is coming from. Burr is lightly cradling Laurens’ arm in his hand, inspecting a gash that Eliza’s already sewn up. It’s long, from the inside of his shoulder down and around to right above his elbow, and it’s got to be at least a centimeter deep. It’s definitely going to scar, and Thomas winces in sympathy. Burr glares at Laurens, and the curly-headed man just smiles at him, obviously not picking up on the other man’s concern. Hercules is trying not to laugh and Thomas sees him and Lafayette shake on what must be a bet—probably on who’ll crack on their point of view first, and Thomas rolls his eyes. Sometimes it can feel like he works with children, despite the fact that they’ve all been through way too much to still old onto the innocence of youth. Quickly glancing around the room, Thomas notices that Alexander is nowhere to be found.

“Laurens, you do realize that on top of being the world’s greatest scent-dog—don’t give me that look, Burr—Aaron is also an _empath_? He literally knows exactly what you’re feeling, you moron.” Laurens rolls his eyes at him and turns his attention back to Aaron, eyes softening a little around the edges and smile becoming less sharp. He leans forward slightly to rest his forehead against Aaron’s—Thomas ignores Hercules passing Lafayette a five-dollar bill—and the two quickly become immersed in their own little world. Thomas rolls his eyes, and finally turns his attention to the Mission holo-board in the middle of the room. Charles Lee, Samuel Seabury, and King George are plastered in the middle of the board. Alexander’s face at the very top, and Thomas is slightly confused as to why he’s there in the first place.

“You’re very critical to us defeating the Redcoats, son.” George strolls into the room, face grim, with Alexander by his side. He’s wearing training pants and an olive-green t-shirt, and Thomas has only a moment to wonder where he even got it before George is taking over the conversation in the room. Alex looks like he’s about to protest something, but thinks better of it and sits in a chair at the control table. Everyone follows suit, George sitting next to Alexander on one side and Lafayette on the other. Thomas glares at the Frenchman when he smirks at him, and quickly finds his seat next to George before he can be separated too much more. John, understandably and as was expected, sits in Aaron’s lap instead of an actual chair.

“Gentleman, this war is very close to coming to an end. We’re going to need all the help we can get, but we’re very close.” Thomas looks around the room, and notices that the girls are missing. He turns to Washington to ask, but the older man beats him to it. “Angelica and Peggy have returned from their rescue mission to get Ms. Maria, and Theo will be here shortly to fill us in on her recon mission. Do be patient, Jefferson, I promise they’re safe.” Thomas flushes from being called out, but George moves on. “Has anyone seen Madison? I know he got the memo about this meeting.” As if on cue, James stumbles in the door, half-asleep on his feet, despite the fact his feet are a good six-inches off the ground. He unceremoniously falls into the seat next to Aaron, and rests his head on the man’s shoulder. John immediately grabs one of James’ hand with his free one, and James almost immediately falls asleep. George moves on like nothing happened. “If would all direct your attention to the screen, please.”

The holo-board comes to life and where King George, Samuel, and Charles’ faces were a map replaces them. Thomas quickly realizes it’s a map of the States and of England, color coded to match whether the Redcoats are in charge of the territory, the Revolutionaries are, or it’s undecided. The largest piece, what Jefferson can only assume is George’s next place of attack, is Yorktown. It’s a well-supplied settlement and would very easily determine the way the war turned. Jefferson isn’t sure why Alexander has been allowed to sit in on this meeting, he doesn’t know anything about the way the war has gone and he’s not even a _real_ Revolutionary. George shoots him a look that tells him his questions will be answered when it’s time to be, but to keep his mouth shut. Jefferson does so, knowing quite personally how likely George is to keep any threat he makes. He glances around the room to see the joking atmosphere has officially left the room, and everyone is looking as grim yet hopeful as he feels.

While everyone is examining the board, the door opens and Angelica and the girls stroll in. Alexander is out of his chair in a second and dashes over to the dark-skinned girl and her sisters, and Thomas wonders how he’s so close to them before Washington projects an image into his mind that makes him gasp in surprise and grip the arms of his chair. Maria strokes Alexander’s back, and Theo doesn’t know Alexander apparently, because she strolls right past him and plants herself between Thomas and James. George allows them a few moments to reunite themselves before clearing his throat, causing the girls and Alex to jump and blush in embarrassment. Peggy, however, refuses to let Alexander go and ends up sitting in his lap while everyone else looks completely unfazed by this turn of events. This, of course, does not include Thomas’ reaction of wide eyes and raised eyebrows. No one even acknowledges him or the looks he tries to give the others. He sees George giving them all one final look before nodding and deciding it’s time to move along with their meeting.

“This map, just to reiterate, is a layout of all of the battles we’ve fought, wins and losses. And that big grey spot in the middle of Virginia? That, ladies and gentlemen, is all we need to win this war and put an end to the Redcoats and their idiotic plan for world colonization.” He turns to Theodosia, eyebrow raised, and she nods to him in confirmation as she pulls out a jump-drive and perfectly throws it to land in the port so that her images show up on the board in place of where the Redcoats’ faces had been. “Our dear Theodosia has been on a recon mission for the last few weeks—Hercules stop pouting, you went on the last one—and has gathered enough intel on how their army is set up and what battle strategies they plan to use. This was not easily acquired information, and I do not want us to waste any time getting together to infiltrate their front line and claim Yorktown. That is why my son, along with Burr, will be in charge of how we use our expeditionary forces and Lafayette and Thomas will be in charge of guarding the home-front.” Burr raises his eyebrow, but nods in approval while Lafayette and Thomas look on with confusion. Washington has a son?

“No.” It takes Thomas a moment to connect the voice with the person, but when he recognizes it, he turns to Peggy and forces himself to not flinch from the glare she’s sending Washington. Angelica and Eliza look equally as put out, but are better at holding their tongues than their sister. “No, he’s not going.” Thomas doesn’t get it, why does Peggy care so much about whoever Washington’s son is? Risking a glance at Alexander, his head is buried into the younger woman’s shoulder and his arms are wrapped tightly around Peggy’s waste. He whispers something to her, and whatever it was he probably should’ve kept to himself, because the lights start flickering and the look in her face gets darker than before, causing everyone but Maria to flinch and squirm. “Alexander, shut up. You aren’t going.”

“Pegs—”

“No, you don’t get to ‘Pegs’ me. You almost died the last time you tried stopping the Redcoats, Alexander. I won’t have it.” The lights overhead flicker as Peggy huffs in frustration and anger. She pushes herself away from Alex and ignores his calls for her to come back and stay until the end of the meeting. Alex sighs, and holds his head in his hands, and Thomas is still a little more than confused. For one, why does Peggy think Alexander is George’s son, and for two, since when are Peggy and Alexander so close? Yes, he gets that she cares about George and Alexander, but since when did that care extend to overwhelming mother-hen nurturing that made her storm off when something wasn’t going her way. He had so many questions, and the first moment he gets, he’s asking Alex all of them. Now, though, George sighs and ignores the fact that Eliza has left to follow her sister out of the room and the fact that everyone is staring at him, like he somehow has the answer to their questions.

“We have three days to train and make a move on Yorktown before we lose our opportunity and the Redcoats have the opportunity to take over the South. We will start Powered training tomorrow at 6AM, and we’ll mobilize tomorrow night at eleven. It’s going to be hard, and you’re going to be pushed to your limits. The Redcoats have never bothered to hide their disdain for people like us, and they will do everything they can to eliminate you. You cannot let your emotions drive you in this war, despite how close all of us are to this subject.” George takes a breath and turn towards Aaron. “Burr, you will remain mostly behind the frontlines—despite having a brilliant honing ability, you’re not a combatant and I don’t feel like dealing with Laurens or Madison’s wrath if you get injured. You will take a small group of unpowered Revolutionaries and Theodosia for infiltration; your job is to get as close to their home-base as possible to place traps and explosives so we can lessen the defense systems. You get in and get out, don’t linger. Philip Sr. will provide you and your troops with your weapons. You leave in four hours; dismissed.”

Aaron disentangles himself from John and James, quickly pressing a kiss to their cheeks, and quickly moves with Theodosia out of the room and down the hall. John relocates himself in Aaron’s chair and pulls James over to him; the smaller man goes easily, curling up in John’s lap but still listening to George’s instructions. They’re a really sweet match, the two of them and Burr, even though they’re the most unlikely to actually fit together. They balance each other out well, and Thomas can’t help but look at Alexander and wonder if the two of them would be like that, if they would fit together as easily as his three friends fit with one another. George gives him a look, though, and Thomas quickly throws his barriers up. He’s had quite enough of George being in his head, thanks. George frowns at him but continues giving out his instructions.

“Training for this battle will be harder than any other training you’ve gone through since we’ve put this army together. With Theodosia and Burr out of this fight, we will need to rework some dynamics and bring in reinforcements from around the compound. People who aren’t usually used to fighting will be joining us and they will need all the support and pushing they can get. Charles Lee,” Thomas tries not to flinch at the name, “will be one of the biggest threats we face, and though he used to be one of us, you must not let his presence effect how you fight and interact with one another in this battle. We will have each other’s backs, and we will not allow an unimportant speck in King George’s army to affect us and how we fight. Is that understood?” There are nods and murmurs of agreement around the room, and George turns to Alexander.

“Son, you are our team leader in this battle. Ever since you’ve come back from Nevis, you have been the closest to bringing down any part of their organization and I have the utmost faith in your abilities.” Alexander has a very grim look on his face, but nods at George, anyway. “Besides Thomas, you are one of the most powerful Powered People this country has ever seen, Alexander. You are high on their list of people to take down. You will lead training and you will decide on any of our formations and attack strategies. Thomas is your second, and everyone else will do as you say.” He smiles sadly, “I know Peggy thinks it’s not what’s best for us, for you, but you truly are our only hope. You need to talk her around, because without her we cannot and we will not win. Do you understand, son?” Alexander nods, “Then everyone is dismissed. Thomas, please stay behind, we need to talk.”

Everyone files out, Lafayette and Hercules crowding around Alexander to talk strategy and John herding Angelica and James out the opposite direction, keeping his significant other and Angelica from collapsing with the exhaustion that is clearly showing in their faces and the tenseness of their bodies. Thomas hates how hard everyone is working and how little progress is being made. He’s really hoping this Yorktown plan pans out, everyone deserves some good time off. Thomas sees Alexander look back at him and he smiles, causing the smaller man to pause in his advances. Alexander waves at him once, and when Gilbert notices he’s distracted he rolls his eyes and tugs Alexander along once more, causing Alexander to squawk and Hercules and Lafayette to laugh. Thomas chuckles as the three of them leave the room, and then turns his attention back to Washington, whose eyes look suddenly much more tired than they did during the meeting. Washington very rarely lets his walls down, and Jefferson is proud to be someone he shows this side of himself to.

“I’ve known Alexander for a very long time,” he starts out, and Washington’s voice sounds extremely loud in the now empty room. “When you all were boys, his mother and I were very close, especially after his father left them. I helped raise him until him and his mother went back to Nevis. When she died I received a visit from a lawyer three days later informing me that Rachel had listed me as Alexander’s next of kin and he would be placed in my care. I had planned to receive him the next week, but it was another month until he could come live with me, as his hometown was struck with a hurricane just days later. It was speculated by those in his village that Alexander was to blame for the storm, that he had special abilities that gave him the ability to affect the weather and the sudden loss of his mother opened something in him that could not be repaired. Of course, they were right and despite his pleas for them to understand he had no control over it, and that he didn’t mean it, they were eager to get rid of him. He even wrote a pamphlet, at the mere age of twelve, describing his lost and how much it hurt him, but they wouldn’t listen; they even used that pamphlet and his incredible writing skills to further excuse what they were doing, abandoning a child to live on his own.

“They pooled together money to send him off as soon as possible, and Alexander was just lucky that they remembered he was ‘from’ New York and booked him a plane to the right place. That night I got a call from airport security. Alexander had been so frightened, wouldn’t speak anything but French and repeat my name over and over. I have raised him as my own since then, and kept him in hiding until now.” He turns his gaze to Thomas, and for the first time in the two years of them being together General Washington looks close to tears. “It has never been a coincidence that we always seemed to meet up with him on Redcoats missions. Alexander has been working towards bringing the Redcoats down for years, has written articles and has trained harder than even you have at controlling the many powers he’s come to discover for himself. He’s never liked bullies, and to him the Redcoats are bullies to the worst extent. He’ll do whatever it takes to keep them out of power.”

Thomas’ mind is reeling with all the information he’s taking in, and doesn’t know where to start in terms of processing any of it. He finally nods in a vague sense of understanding, then frowns again. “Why is Peggy so protective of Alexander? If you’ve had him in hiding for so long, how do the Schuyler sisters know who he is?” Washington lowers his gaze, contemplates his answer before he speaks.

“How much do you know about the Schuyler family before the war started?”

“Philip Sr. was a well-respected technopath with three daughters and they lived in New York around the same time King George started making threats against Powered People in America. Not long after that they disappeared from the public eye and no one saw them again until the daughters made their first appearance with the original Revolutionaries, about a year before I got back from France. Rumor was they were in some underground protective facility until then.”

“Good. During the time that they spent “underground” they were actually living with me and Alexander. They finished growing up together, and between the four of them, Peggy and Alexander grew the closet together. They trained together every day for hours, and before the girls made their Revolutionary debut, Peggy and Alexander used to go on missions together for slightly smaller issues around the city. When the King and his cronies started making larger threats towards the country, Peggy joined us and Alexander went back ‘underground.’ Their dynamic was beautiful, but Alexander made a promise to Peggy that he would stay a secret from the public eye so that she wouldn’t have to worry about him getting hurt.” He stood, moving towards a filing cabinet on the other side of the room. “As you have probably deduced, he was unable to keep that promise due to the increase in threats from people like Seabury, Conway, and Lee.”

He opens the cabinet, and pulls out a folder with the words ‘ _Hurricane and P.S. September 2016_ ’ written on the front and Thomas furrows his eyebrows. He’s never seen that folder before, didn’t even know that that cabinet was in this room. His mind is racing with a million questions, and he has no idea which one to start with. George hands him the file and continues like he doesn’t have some secret cabinet in the middle of their briefing room. Thomas opens the file and barely holds back his gasp as he reads the report. He wants none of it to be true, wants these files to be either imaginary or burned into nonexistence. He looks at George and the other man smiles at him sympathetically.

“It was supposed to be a simple recon mission; the two of them were supposed to meet with a defective Redcoat that was doubting the integrity of the King and what it was he was trying to accomplish. It was a risky mission we knew, especially since where they wanted to meet was in Redcoat territory. Angelica and Eliza didn’t want them to go at first, and almost succeeded in talking them out of it. The only problem was that we had very little information on them at the time, even though this was less than a year ago, and Alex and Peggy knew they didn’t have much of a choice. They ended up going, in the end. No one went with them, the guy they were meeting with said no reinforcements and no surveillance, said he didn’t want to risk his identity being leaked to the King. Needless to say, the whole thing was very risky, but it was the only chance we had until we could set up an actual infiltration to get their information.

“To make a long story short, the entire thing was a setup,” George takes a deep breath. “When they got there, traps were set to go off the moment the two of them arrived. Unfortunately, Alexander is just as protective of Peggy as she is of him, and so he went in first to make sure it wasn’t a trap and the moment he opened the door to the meeting place the building exploded. Peggy was absolutely devastated, and it was the day we learned she had what comic books call “Super Sonic Pitch,” kind of like the Black Canary. She took out the guy they were supposed to meet and all of his hidden backup in one scream. When she finally got to Alexander, he was barely breathing and had second degree burns down his back and his neck. Angelica can only make a suit so flame resistant before it gives way, and even she can’t make things explosive resistant.” Thomas flips through the pages and pages of paperwork, through the pictures of the wreckage that was left behind and when he gets to the pictures of Alexander after the explosion and in a medical facility, he slams the folder closed and drops it like it’s on fire.

“He’s truly one of the bravest of us I’ve ever met, braver than you even.” Thomas can feel tears rolling down his cheeks as he looks up at where George is standing near the door. “I know he was important to you, still is, but you can’t protect or keep him locked up forever—and yes that was what you were thinking, be quiet. You don’t realize it yet, but you treat him a lot like Peggy did when they were partners. You just love him a little differently, don’t you?” Thomas swallows against the lump in his throat and nods, “I thought so. Just be careful, Thomas. He’s not as fragile as you think, and he loves to take risks. Our profession always brings heartbreak, son, you know that.” George claps Thomas on the shoulder and gives his arm a light squeeze.

Thomas watches as George makes his way across the room and out of the mission room. Thomas, overwhelmed with all the knowledge he’s gathered over the last hour, rests his head on the table and contemplates his life. He thinks about what he thought he knew about Alexander, and what George has told him since his childhood love joined up with the Revolutionaries. So many of his questions were answered, but now he has questions about the answers that answered those original questions. Thinking about it makes his head hurt, and he closes his eyes while his brain tries to process any of the information into making sense, but the longer he sits there, the worse it is and he gives up. It’s getting late, or maybe his body is finally realizing that he needs to sleep, and so he decides to do just that. Teleporting back to his room, he quickly changes into more comfortable clothes and plops on his bead. He’ll spend more time thinking about and talking to Alexander about it tomorrow.

There’s a brief moment where he considers what it would be like to sleep next Alexander in a real bed, but the thought is there and gone in the same second, and he falls into sleep before he can think more about it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Update ! Yay !   
> By tomorrow , I will have an official schedule for both this and Your Hand in Mine (My Hand in Yours) posted on tumblr so that you guys can actually hold me accountable for being on time. You can come ask me questions and submit artwork [here!](http://nyckthewriter.tumblr.com)

**Author's Note:**

> please let me know what you think [here!](http://nyckthewriter.tumblr.com)  
> for those of you who are waiting on my to update any other fics i've written, i promise i'm getting back into it. These last couple of months have been quite hectic for me, so I'm trying to get back on my feet. For those of you who haven't, I hope this will prompt you to. I will be posting on my tumblr (linked above) about my upcoming writing schedule, so be on the lookout. Thanks for sticking around!


End file.
